Beyond Metaphysics Revisited Krishnamurti and Western Philosophy

9780761821922

0761821929

A careful and intense look at the writings of J. Krishnamurti results in the understanding of the important differences there are between conscious awareness and awareness which is not consciousness, perception with a perceiver and perceiverless perception, abstract truth and living truth, and most importantly between a partially functioning and a totally functioning, that is, a truly silent, meditative mind. The truly silent, meditative mind is mind that is completely silent, but not merely made silent by partial mind functioning. In Beyond Metaphysics Revisited, J. Richard Wingerter examines past philosophy, specifically metaphysics, to show that though metaphysicians asked important and highly significant questions, the answers they provided to these questions were meaningless or nonsensical because they unduly limited the mind to conscious awareness and to its partial functioning. These same limitations are present in contemporary philosophy and thus there is need not only to go beyond past metaphysical aspects of philosophy but also beyond the restrictions that are there in contemporary philosophy.